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Monday, April 4, 2011

Heroes

I’ve decided to write about my current personal hero, Rachel Smith. You might have seen her video on Jill Stanek or Stand for Life. She has personally saved at least forty lives, that she knows of, in the last five months. You should listen to her story, I’m sure I’ll get some of the details confused, but I will retell it for those who are pressed for time.

Shortly after the birth of her youngest child, Mrs. Smith had an epiphany about sidewalk counseling. It is so often impossible to talk to the girls going in to get an abortion, they refuse to look at us or see our signs. One day, she decided to go inside and talk to them, showing them her newborn child. She scheduled a pregnancy test, sat in the waiting room, and let nature take its course.

Other patients cooed over the baby, passing her around, and asking questions. She uses these opportunities to start a conversation. She’s supportive and warm-hearted, but she tells them the truth of how she feels about abortion. She doesn’t lie to them. When they call her name, she really does go back and take a pregnancy test. By being there, by being one of them, she has personally walked forty women out of clinics.

Of course, she has to travel often to remain successful. She doesn’t go to the same clinic twice. Most clinics have policies prohibiting babies. She ignores that particular rule and goes in anyway. She says it usually takes about fifteen minutes for them to realize that she has a child with her. During that time she is still able to talk to the women there.

Her baby is five-months old now. Together they’ve saved forty lives. Can you imagine saving eight lives a month? I don’t advocate that we all run out and do this. I know that many people wouldn’t have the temperament for it. I doubt I’d be able to remain calm and normal throughout the appointment. But I think we can all learn from how she speaks to these women. When she speaks to them in that waiting room, she is one of them. They open their eyes and see her and her child. They open their hearts and their minds and they HEAR her.